We had a wonderful experience during our spring backpacking and camping trip this past weekend. The Senior Unit hiked the 13 miles of the Lake Somerville Trailway while the Junior Unit camped along the shore of the lake. The Junior Unit worship theme centered on what they were thankful for, and included a photography hike to identify things in nature for which to give thanks. They also worked on astronomy and spent time canoeing. The Senior Unit began the Trailway trip in the evening, and had to put in a few more miles the first night than planned, as the initial campsite was closed for renovations. Awakening to the sound of birds at daylight, we finally had a chance to see out surroundings, and what a sight it was - wildflowers everywhere. Senior Unit worship focused on the lessons to be drawn from Israel’s loss of the Ark of the Covenant, and the subsequent recovery. We also drew inspiration from the nature around us, encountering butterflies and skinks, deer and wild boar. Sunday morning the two units finally met up at the lake, cooling our feet in the water, and sharing tales of the weekend’s adventures.
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The SAIL Pathfinders spent a wonderful weekend out at Bastrop State Park Feb. 15-17, with early spring weather highlighting the rebirth of the area after the 2011 fires. The Senior Unit backpacked along the Scenic Overlook trail, negotiating the path in the dark before setting up for a chilly night. The Junior Unit established their camp on the other side of the grounds, and bedded down. Sabbath morning arrived to the laugh of the pileated woodpecker and the sun spreading through the pines. After a morning hike to listen to the birds, the Junior Unit headed over to the Senior Unit campsite for worship, where we explored the scale of God’s power. In the afternoon, after lunch together, the Junior unit headed off on a five-senses hike, taking pause to listen, watch, smell, touch and taste the world around us, to experience in nature the fingerprints of God’s creative power. In the evening, the Junior Unit practiced no-match fire-starting, which was just the thing for grilling veggie-dogs over the coals. Sunday morning was cooking breakfast over the fire before breaking down camp. The Senior Unit backpacked out and joined up with the Junior Unit for an after-lunch nature hike led by the same park ranger who directed out tree-planting in January. There is a lot of new growth in the park, but it will be decades before Bastrop looks even close to the same. But it is an amazing demonstration of the power of regeneration that God granted the natural world to see the new trees growing, flowers blooming and birds singing in the park.
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